Always
by Amplify. Your. Imagination
Summary: Scotty Smalls has fallen in love with Benny Rodriguez, his best friend, but was rejected when he tried to pursue Benny. After a traumatizing occurance, Benny comes clean... Warnings: RAPE! Though not very graphic, don't read if topic is offensive! Slash, OOC, Oneshot


**Hey Guys! I was watching The Sandlot the other day in class and it led me to want to read Benny/Smalls pairing stories. Well, the selection is rather limited, like 5 stories limited, and I decided to write this. Now, if you haven't seen The Sandlot, you might not get this story all that much. I would recommend seeing it, first of all. But, for now, read the summary on Wikipedia and call it a day. **

**I have to apologize in advance for any grammar errors. I wanted to get this posted, so I depended on Microsoft Office. They only inform you if a word is spelled wrong, not if it is used wrong, so... yeah. Anyway, I hope you like it because I'm excited about it. :)**

**Warnings: Spoilers (Very little ones), Cussing and RAPE! I tried to make it vague, very much so, but if it offends you, please stop here.**

**Onward ho! **

* * *

Scotty Smalls sat in the cafeteria, listening to the chatter going on around him. The guys were talking about something or another, something that he didn't feel like talking about with them.

It was five years ago that Scotty had moved to this small town and met the guys he now, still, sat with as a Sophomore in High School. Even after all this time, they were all still friends; something that amazed Scotty on more than one occasion.

None of the gang had moved away yet, though Bertram was thought to be leaving at the end of this year. They all still played baseball out in the sandlot when they had the time away from homework and chores. Nothing had really changed.

Except for Scotty.

Scotty had been feeling more and more out of the loop as of late, and he knew it was his own fault. Being a group of guys, no one really asked him what was wrong, not directly. They all just pulled him aside and mentioned that he could come to them with anything. But this… this he knew he couldn't.

His current problem pertained to the dark haired, dark eyed boy sitting across from him. Benny Rodriguez.

Scotty was in love with Benny Rodriguez.

Scotty sighed imperceptibly, pushing at the food on his plate, not really hungry as he thought over what had happened almost a year ago.

Last summer, Scotty had come to the realization that maybe, just maybe, he didn't like girls as much as the other guys did. Maybe, and this was just a hunch, he preferred guys; liked their firm bodies and chiseled jaws to the soft curves and round breasts of a woman. He might just want to be below a man as he thrust into him, panting out his name in between kisses.

And maybe, he might just want that man to be Benny.

So he made the biggest mistake he had ever made, and that included taking his step dad's Babe Ruth baseball.

See, he had foolishly made the assumption that maybe Benny wanted him, too. Benny had always been a little bit friendlier with him then the others, had always touched him more. Maybe Scotty stood even a smidgen of a chance with his crush.

On a hot summer evening, after a game in the sandlot, on their walk back home, Scotty had grabbed Benny's wrist and pulled him to a stop. Without saying a word, he had pushed up and pressed his lips to Benny's, cutting off the taller boy's question.

But Benny didn't respond to the kiss. Instead, he waited for Scotty to pull back and looked him in the eyes. His next words broke Scotty's heart.

"Smalls, you're cool and I like you… but as a friend. I'm not gay. I could never be with you… in that way, you know?" Benny said with a gentle look in his eyes. He seemed to say it in a way that would soften the blow of rejection, like he really didn't want to hurt Scotty more than was necessary.

Benny sighed as Scotty looked away, trying to hide the tears of rejection as they stung his eyes. He continued talking, "You're my best friend, Smalls. The last thing I want to do is hurt you, so how about we just forget this ever happened, yeah? And don't worry, I won't tell the guys about you being… you know."

Oh Scotty knew. Benny wouldn't tell them that he was gay and he wouldn't tell them he had just made a move on his, apparently, straight best friend.

It was with the rejection that made Scotty realize he was in love with Benny, that it wasn't some silly crush that would fade away with time. He knew in that moment that this would forever be the worst time of his life. He knew he had just lost the most important thing to him, all over an impulsive decision that he should have thought a little harder on.

But, he didn't try to talk to Benny about any of what he was thinking. Scotty simply nodded his head as he let go of Benny's wrist, refusing to meet Benny's imploring gaze. Benny sighed again before saying goodnight and heading to his house.

Since that night, there had always been a bit of tension between him and Benny, though the guys never seemed to notice. Nothing had been the same between the once best friends. Benny seemed to avoid him, without making it obvious to the others. It was just glaringly obvious to Scotty.

Scotty had slowly begun to sink into a depression. It brought him back to why he had felt like an outsider in a group he had been a part of since the summer before junior high. He stopped caring about everything, from his grades to his appearance to his friendship with the guys. He felt like a piece of him was slowly dying off as he watched Benny avoid him like the plague. The worst part was that Benny had even dated a girl or two, while Scotty watched from afar, yearning for something he couldn't have.

"Smalls!" Scotty snapped his head up at the sound of his nickname.

Looking up, he saw Squints staring back, making it obvious who had called him.

"Yeah?" Scotty replied in a monotone voice, his eyes expressionless.

"Where you been, man? We've been calling your name for five minutes," said Squints, his voice lilting in concern.

"Sorry, I guess I just got wrapped up in my memories for a second." Scotty tried to smile back at them, but he knew it came out strained and contorted in the barest resemblance of a smile.

Squints looked like he didn't believe him, but let it drop. "Well, come on, the bell's gonna ring in a few minutes. We need to get to class."

Scotty just nodded and stood, taking his tray with him.

~SSBR~SSBR~SSBR~SSBR~SSBR~

Later that day, Scotty stepped out of the stall he had just occupied only to be roughly pushed back in. He was bent forward over the toilet with another body pressed flush against his, something hard poking his ass. Before any noise could leave his mouth, a hand was clapped over it, muffling his voice enough so that no one could hear him.

"No use screaming, you little bitch, no one's gonna hear you." The familiar voice sent shivers down his spine. He knew instantly who the guy behind him was.

It was Phillips, the captain of the baseball team they had beaten five years ago. Since that summer, Phillips had gotten even worse than he was then; taking every chance he got to get back at Scotty and the others for beating him. He had become the biggest bully in the school, and now it seemed, he was about to take his revenge to the next level.

He leaned forward even more and put his lips to Scotty's ear, "I saw you that night, Smalls. Saw you kiss Rodriguez, watched him push you away." Phillips whispered, distracting Scotty enough that he didn't realize the other boy's hand had gone to the clasp of his jeans and had hurriedly begun to undo it.

Scotty couldn't believe it. Phillips had seen him kiss Benny, had watched him make an ass out of himself. He didn't know if he should laugh hysterically or cry his eyes out as mortification set in.

That is, until he realized what the other boy was doing with the hand that wasn't holding his mouth.

"I've been planning when I should do this since that night, Smalls. When you would be at your weakest. Rodriguez has been dating; you've been pulling away from your friends. This was the perfect time to strike."

Scotty began to squirm roughly, trying to get away from the taller boy behind him, cursing his slender body and small stature, knowing he wouldn't be able to get the other boy off of him easily, if at all.

Hot tears that he made no move to stop began to pour down his face as he shook his head back and forth trying to get enough of his mouth free to yell for help, despite the other boy's earlier words. But Phillips had expected this to happen, lifting his hand from Scotty's pants up to his neck, squeezing his throat roughly.

"Now, now, none of that. We both know you really want this, faggot. Stop fighting me or you won't make it out of this bathroom alive. Got it?" To emphasize his words, he pushed harder on Scotty's neck, making him attempt to gasp from breath around the hand now blocking not only his mouth, but his nose as well, cutting off all of his air.

Just before he thought he'd black out from his inability to breathe, he was released. Gasping in air as fast as he could, he stayed completely still as the hand went back down to his pants, the other continuing to hold his mouth. After what Phillips had just done, Scotty had a feeling Phillips was serious when he said he wouldn't make it out alive. He didn't want to find out either way.

As Phillips fumbled to get his pants down, Scotty let his mind wander. He couldn't believe this was happening. He never thought that, with all the other boy had done to him, he would sink this low. It had never even entered his mind; not once. How could anyone do this to another person, anyway?

He felt his underwear be pulled down with his pants, felt Phillips pull his own pants down and align himself with Scotty's entrance, but just before that actual penetration, he let his mind carry him to his safe place, the place where nothing could ever hurt him, where he was happy.

Other than a small sting, Scotty felt nothing as, in his mind, he lay in Benny's arms, feeling the other boy run his fingers though his blonde hair. Nothing could hurt him here, not with Benny protecting him. It was his safest place to be, his happiest moment, even if it had never happened and never would. He could still dream about it, right?

He didn't know how long he laid there with Benny in his mind, minutes, hours, who knew. He just knew that it wasn't long enough before he was jerked back to reality, only to feel Phillips empty his balls into Scotty. He became aware of the pain a second after.

The pain was excruciating. It felt like he was torn open on the inside, which he probably was, seeing as how the other boy had done nothing to prepare him. Couple that knowledge with the feeling of something running down his legs in rivulets and he knew he would probably need medical attention.

The slick feeling of Phillips sliding out of his abused entrance had him crying out in pain against the hand still holding his mouth. When it was finally removed, he crumpled in a heap to the floor, looking up at the other boy.

Phillips grabbed some toilet paper and cleaned his cock of blood and come before throwing it down on Scotty and pulling his pants back up.

Before opening the stall door, he bent down, smirking as Scotty flinched away. "Not a word of this to anyone, got it? You know what will happen if you tell a soul." The glint in his eyes as he said the last part told Scotty exactly what would happen, and again, he had enough self-preservation not to want to test Phillips and see if he was lying or not.

Smirking again, he turned to the door and unlocked it, leaving Scotty lying there in his own blood and tears, not knowing what to do now.

~SSBR~SSBR~SSBR~SSBR~SSBR~

Benny walked into the bathroom, having been told by his teacher to check on Smalls because the kid had been gone for quite some time.

The first thing he noticed when he walked into the bathroom was the smell. But it wasn't the smell of food poisoning from eating the cafeteria food. No, it was something much worse, something he couldn't quite put his finger on, or just didn't want to.

The next thing he knew, he was shoving open a stall door and staring down and the crying, shaking form of Smalls, his pants around his knees, curled up in the fetal position in a pool of blood.

"Smalls? Scotty, can you hear me?" Oh god, what had happened to him? As he took a step closer to the smaller boy, Scotty flinched away from him, shaking his head as he hugged his legs tighter to his chest.

Benny blinked hard as tears burned his eyes. Someone had hurt his Scotty and he vowed to find out whom. When he did, they would be dead.

"Scotty, I'm gonna go get help, ok man? Just hang in there. I promise everything will be ok." Benny ran from the bathroom back to his class, got the teacher and told her to call the police before running back to the bathroom to stay with Scotty while they waited for an ambulance.

~SSBR~SSBR~SSBR~SSBR~SSBR~

5 hours later, Scotty lay on his stomach in a hospital bed. His rectum had been torn open from the rough penetration, bad enough that he needed a total of 7 stitches. He would have to eat ice cream for a while and would have to miss about two weeks of school.

His parents were called in and were sitting at his side, his mom in tears and his dad with murder in his eyes. But no matter how many times they asked, he wouldn't tell them who had done it. He would never tell.

The doctor had given him some strong pain pills and had told him that he would be staying overnight for observation, but he could go home tomorrow.

But Scotty didn't really care. As a matter of fact, he didn't care about much of anything at this point. He wasn't thinking about anything; his mind was as blissfully blank as his body was numb. He felt dead inside, like that little broken piece had finally decided to give up fighting and had broken off completely.

He fell into a restless sleep that night, filled with nightmares images of things he didn't remember happening, but obvious had while he had been locked in his mind in the safety of Benny's arms.

~SSBR~SSBR~SSBR~SSBR~SSBR~  
Three weeks later, Scotty was back in school and the whole school knew he had been brutally raped right there in the bathroom down the hall from the cafeteria. As he limped down the hall, all eyes were on him, especially eyes that he didn't want on him. Eyes that gloated at him whenever they met across the hall.

But he didn't care. He went through the motions without really thinking about it. Went to school, did the work he had missed when he was in bed. He even went to the sandlot with the guys and watched them play, seeing as how he couldn't, and didn't really want to anyway.

They guys had all been at his house when he had been home, staying the night with him, bringing him his work. All but the one boy he really wanted to be there, not that he really expected him to be after what he had walked into. What must Benny think of him now.

If there had ever been a speck of a chance that Benny might want him back, it was gone now. Who would ever want damaged goods? He was no better than the dirt on Benny's converse after what he had been through.

He sat in class with Benny, hoping he would look over at him; but Benny never did. He never said a word in the cafeteria, wouldn't look at him at all. Only now, while it hurt Scotty, it didn't hurt as much. Because the part of him that loved Benny had been broken, shattered; smashed into a billion pieces and then stomped on in front of his eyes.

And it was all because of Phillips.

Now that some time had passed, Scotty began to feel angry. So much anger, in fact, that every time he and the little bastard connected eyes in the hallway, all Scotty wanted to do was walk up to him and beat the fuck out of the guy, bigger size or not. He had almost stopped worrying about the threat Phillips had made what seemed like forever ago. Almost.

But if Benny refused to look at him one more day, Scotty felt like he just might snap. He was due to get the stitches out in about a week. After that, he couldn't be held accountable for what he did to Phillips.

~SSBR~SSBR~SSBR~SSBR~SSBR~

Benny had never felt more conflicted then he did when Scotty had come out of the hospital. On one hand, he desperately wanted to see if Scotty was ok. He wanted to hold the smaller boy in his arms and tell him that everything would be ok again; all he had to do was trust him to make everything better.

But on the other hand, he knew what would happen if his family found out he was having those kinds of thoughts about another boy. His dad would be livid, would call him a faggot and probably kick him out of the house. His mom would just sit there as he did, not looking at her queer son.

No one would guess his parents hated gays, not from the way they projected themselves. But he knew differently. It was the reason he had told Scotty he wasn't gay.

And Benny didn't believe he was gay. Because the only guy he was even remotely attracted to was Scotty. No one else had the ability to turn him on like Scotty did, without even touching him.

Hell, even now, in his own head, he had stopped using the nickname to refer to the other boy, but instead, his real name.

He had dated a few girls to appease his parents, but his heart wasn't in it. No, the only place besides baseball that his heart resided was with Scotty, the boy that walked around with a dead look in his eyes; the boy who looked over at him in class or across the table in the cafeteria and practically begged him to look back.

But he knew if he did that, he would take Scotty somewhere secluded and how him how he really felt.

Benny sighed inaudible as he felt Scotty's eyes on him again. He could feel something coming, something that would change everything. He just hoped it was for the better, not the worse.

~SSBR~SSBR~SSBR~SSBR~SSBR~

After getting the stitches removed, Scotty walked easier, literally and figuratively. He no longer had to watch his step in order to not hurt himself and now, he could get his revenge on the rat bastard that had raped him. Fuck his threat. Phillips could take it and shove it up his ass.

No, it was time for Scotty to get even.

It was Friday of the week his stitches were taken out that it happened.

They were all sitting in the cafeteria, eating their lunch, when the door swung open. Two police officers followed the principal and vice principal into the cafeteria and headed straight for the baseball team in the far back corner.

"Andrew Phillips?" One of the police officers asked, stepping forward.

"Yeah? What's going on?" Phillips replied, looking confused as he stared up at the officer.

"Stand up, son. You are under arrest for the rape of Scott Smalls. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law…" As Phillips was being cuffed and told his rights, he caught eyes with Scotty across the cafeteria.

The look in Scotty's eye must have said everything he needed to know because his eyes narrowed and he began screaming.

"I'll kill you, you little bitch! You think what happened in the bathroom was bad; you just wait until I get my hands on you next time! You'll never fucking recover, if you even live…!" He was still yelling as he was dragged out of the room, staring at Scotty's smirking face the entire time.

Not as satisfying as beating the snot out of him, but really, who was he kidding? He would never have won that fight. So, he did the next best thing.

He told the police what had happened. And he wasn't even afraid what would happen to him if Phillips did get the chance to hurt him again. If he died next time, he would die with this memory in mind.

He turned back to his table mates, locking eyes with Benny for the first time in almost a month. There was pride shining in them along with something else. Something Scotty was afraid to put a name to, afraid he was seeing things.

So Scotty didn't over analyze it. Instead, he went back to eating his lunch, ignoring all the eyes on him and the buzz of whispers all over the room.

~SSBR~SSBR~SSBR~SSBR~SSBR~

Benny stood at the door of Scotty's house, not knowing what to do after he had worked up the courage to come over here.

After what had happened in school the day before, he couldn't stop thinking about Scotty. He couldn't believe that it had been Phillips, the little prick, that had raped his Scotty. He really wished he could have five minutes alone on a room with the bastard; he would beat him within an inch of his life.

But, after the murderous thoughts had left, he had looked at Scotty in a whole new light. Scotty had been raped by Phillips not 4 weeks ago and had had the courage to confront him so soon after. He had told the police what happened, knew he might still get hurt if Phillips didn't get convicted, and hadn't cared. Benny couldn't fathom why Scotty didn't care if he got hurt again, but the courage alone it took to stare at Phillips, to show him that he had been the one to tell; it was incredible.

So, Benny had had a choice to make. He could take the coward's way out, living under his parents' wants until he left home. Or, he could do the opposite; tell his parents to fuck off and go after what he really wanted; Scotty.

If Scotty had the courage to face his attacker, why couldn't he have the courage to face his parents?

His decision had led him this far, where his bright ideas seemed to abandon him. So now, he stood at Scotty's door, not knowing what to say if Scotty did let him in long enough to talk to him.

Just then, the door opened. "Benny?" A soft voice asked from inside the screen door.

Benny looked up from the ground into the green eyes of the boy he loved, shocked to have been caught right outside Scotty's door, looking like he had no intention of knocking.

"Um… Hi." Benny replied, his voice just as soft as Scotty's. Through the screen, he saw the other boy swallow lightly before looking up.

"Would you like to come in?" He asked.

"Yeah. Thanks," replied Benny, stepping into the house as Scotty held the door open for him.

As the door fell closed, the two stood awkwardly in the front hall, not knowing what to do from there.

Benny was the first to speak. "How are you feeling?"

"Um… Better, I guess. Still a little sore, but alright." Scotty replied, his voice soft. The silence stretched between them again.

Benny coughed to clear his throat before sighing. "Look, Smalls… Scotty, I came over here to talk to you about something. But I don't want you to say anything until I'm done, yeah? I need to get through this."

Scotty's brow crinkled in confusion, making Benny's heart melt a little at how cute it was. Nonetheless, Scotty nodded hesitantly.

Benny reached over and took Scotty's thin wrist in his hand, pulling him into the living room and urging him to sit down.

The tension in the air could be cut with a knife as they sat there in silence, yet again, before Benny and Scotty both began talking.

"What was it-"

"I wanted to-"

Both stopping, a small smile was shared between the two, melting a little bit of the awkwardness away.

Taking in a deep breath, Benny began. "Scotty, I've been keeping something from you. Actually, I have been for a little over three years, now."

He saw Scotty open his mouth as if to say something, but he held up his hand. Scotty closed his mouth again.

"It was about three years ago that I had started having these… feelings. It was actually the night had slept over and you had come into your room with nothing but a towel on, water dripping down your chest…"

Benny had to stop as the memory of that night flooded into his mind. He had to force down the urge to palm his cock. He didn't think that, with what had happened only a short month ago, that Scotty would appreciate it very much.

Shaking his head to clear his mind of that lovely image, he focused his attention back on Scotty, noticing a soft blush had flooded his cheeks. He smiled a little before continuing. "It was then that I realized that I was attracted to you. But, see, it was only you that I was in to like that. I mean, guy wise, anyway. No one else could do to me what you did."

Ignoring Scotty's shocked expression, he forged ahead. "From that point on, I started noticing little details, liking what I saw more and more each day, you know? And before long, you were all I could think about.

"It went like that until last summer, when you kissed me. See, before, I had never thought that I would have a chance, never thought you would be into guys. Really, the prospect of us being together hadn't entered my mind for another reason, too.

"Scotty, my parents… They hate gays. They keep it away from the public, not wanting to be seen as bigoted," His lip curled up a little at that. "Anyway, they would skin me alive if they found out I wanted to be with a guy. They would probably kick me out and never want to see me again. And that thought scared me.

"But, seeing what you did yesterday, facing your fears like that, it made me realize something. I would never be happy if I continued to let what my parents thought rule my life, my decisions. So, I'm done. I don't want to be miserable anymore, you know? I want to be happy, and if that is at the expense of losing my parents, then so be it."

Benny slid from the couch, getting on his knees in front of the smaller boy, whose face was still stuck in an expression of astonishment. He looked down at Benny, looking to all the world like he might cry any moment; like he couldn't believe what was happening.

"Scotty, what I'm really trying to get at here is that you are what will make me happy. The night last summer, when you kissed me, I didn't mean what I said. Not completely. I don't think I'm gay, but I think I'm attracted to you. You might call me bisexual, I guess, if you want to put a name to it.

"I'm getting off track here," Benny sighed and looked up imploringly into Scotty's eyes. "Scotty, I want to be with you, ok? I want… Really, I'm not totally sure what I want. But I know one thing for sure. I… I love you, Scotty. I can't keep avoiding you and not looking at you in class. I can't keep trying to make my parents happy by being with girls when I really want is to be with you.

"I know I messed up, but I want to make it better. I want to take all your pain away and never hurt you again. Please, Scotty, give me that chance. Give me the chance to show you how sorry I am that I didn't do this before, that I let my fears rule my actions. Please, let me be with you."

Benny finished up his speech to the carpet. He hadn't been able to look at Scotty as he said he begged for the chance to prove himself, not really expecting to get that chance.

He felt Scotty squeeze his hand gently. "Why would you want me now, Benny? After what he did to me, I'm not… clean, anymore. I feel so dirty, all the time, like I can't wash away the feeling of him. I'm disgusting, Benny. You could do so much better, and keep your family at the same time. Are you sure I'm what you really want, when you'll be stuck with someone broken and lose people you love at the same time?"

Scotty's voice had started off in a whisper, but had become a broken sob by the end of his rant. It broke Benny's heart to hear such pain in the other boy's voice and again, his mind went back to murder for a moment.

Shaking his head, clearly all anger and focusing back on the matter at hand, he reached his fingers up to Scotty's chin, lifting it from his chest and forcing him to meet Benny's eyes.

"You are not disgusting, Scotty. Far from it. You are the bravest person I've ever met, standing up to him the way you did. What happened wasn't your fault and it doesn't change who you are. With time, those feelings will go away, and you'll see what I'm saying, see the truth in it.

"As for your other concern, answer me this. Why would I want to be a part of a family that won't love me for who I am?" Benny looked into the shining green eyes, holding the gaze with his, wanting Scotty to see just how serious he was.

Scotty let a tear slip from the corner of his eye as he looked into the dark eyes of the boy he loved, the boy he desperately wanted to be with.

He had never believed he would get the chance that was now presenting itself, never get the chance to feel loved, like he did right then with Benny's eyes on him with that emotion sitting right there at the forefront.

No matter what came from this, no matter what had happened to him to get him to this point, he would never regret what he did next.

Without hesitating a moment longer, he flung his arms around Benny's neck, holding on tight as he was encircled in by warmth as benny returned the gesture. He nuzzled his head into the other boy's neck, letting himself be pulled off of the couch and into Benny's lap, not feeling the least bit uncomfortable at the close proximity to him.

He pulled back just enough to look into Benny's eyes, seeing the happiness that he felt being reflected back at him. "I love you, Benny." He whispered.

Benny's smile was a bright as the sun, "I love you, too, Scotty. Always have, always will."

Scotty lowered his head, letting his lips brush softly across Benny's. Benny responded, but made no move to deepen it. Something that Scotty was grateful for.

Even if he did trust Benny and enjoyed being held the way he was now, straddling the other boy's lap, he didn't think he would be ready for anything too extensive for quite some time.

And something in his heart told him that Benny would accept that.

Brushing their mouths together once more, he pulled back again and laid his head back into the crook of Benny's neck, basking in the moment.

He felt a part of him come back to life a little, shining a light inside of him that burned hot as he inhaled Benny's musky scent. He had believed he would never feel this again, never regain that part of him the Phillips had stolen in the bathroom that day, but now, he felt that this was a good start.

This… this was where he belonged. Where he hoped to stay for a long time.

**Epilogue**

**4 months later**

The sun was scorching as it shone down on the sandlot, the middle of July being the hottest part of the summer here in the valley.

Nine boys were in below the sun, standing in their usual spot, waiting for Benny to hit the ball. Scotty was out in left center, as usual, watching as Benny threw the ball into the air, swinging the bat and hearing the crack of the ball being hit. It flew towards him, his hand raised in preparation to catch the ball.

It was satisfaction the settled in as he heard it smack into his glove and threw it to second, who threw it back to the pitcher, who threw it back to Benny to do all over again.

As Scotty knew the next few hits wouldn't be to him, he took a few minutes to thin about the last four months.

After Benny's confession to him that Saturday in his living room, quite a few things happened. They had met the others in the sandlot the next day and told them about their newfound relationship.

The reactions they got shocked them. All of the guys seemed to have been waiting for this to happen, had known it would eventually. They had apparently seen the look one boy would give the other when they knew he wasn't looking.

They informed them they accepted it, just as long as they kept the PDA to a minimum… a nonexistent minimum, that is.

Benny's parents, however, were not so accepting. When Benny had told them he was gay, leaving out who he was with, they had reacted just like Benny had said they would, almost to a T. After being thrown out of him home, Benny had come to Scotty's house and had taken the guest room. The arrangement had become permanent soon after.

So it really goes without saying that Scotty's parents still didn't know about their relationship.

Speaking of their relationship, it was about a month into it when Scotty and his family were informed that Phillips had been convicted for rape and was found guilty. He was sent to a juvenile detention center and would reside there until he turned 18, at which time he would serve the remainder of his time, 5 years, in prison.

Scotty had never felt better about his life then he did in that moment. His attacker was put away, far away where he could never hurt him again, and he was with the guy he loved.

Benny had kissed him long and hard when they had gotten a chance to be alone later that night.

Scotty blushed softly as he thought of _that_ particular part of their relationship.

Benny had been patient with him, letting him control how fast or slow they went, never pushing for more when Scotty pulled away, never giving Scotty a reason to believe Benny would ever hurt him.

Scotty had never been as happy as he was in those moments, where Benny showed him he was loved and wanted without asking for things Scotty wasn't ready for.

Scotty sighed happily as he came back to the game just in time to hear his name being yelled and feel the ball hit the top of his head.

Falling to the ground, he shook his head and rubbed the quickly forming bump there, hearing 8 pairs of feet as they ran towards him.

The one pair he really cared about, though, was pushing to the front quickly and knelt in front of him in now time.

"Scotty? Baby, are you ok? Can you hear me?" Benny asked softly, cupping the back of his neck in his hand, tilting his love's head back to look into his eyes.

"You, my dear, hit the damn ball too hard," came Scotty's response, making Benny chuckle as their eyes locked.

They continued to stare at each other, not breaking eye contact even as they heard the others groan.

"Look the other way would you? I want to kiss my boyfriend back to health." Again ignoring the groans, Benny bent his head down to Scotty's, kissing him soundly. Their tongues touched softly, twining together.

Pulling back for air, Benny rested his forehead against Scotty's, "You sure you're ok?"

"Yeah, I'm alright." Scotty replied softly, not wanting to break the spell that had settled over them.

"I love you, Benny. Always."

"I love you, too, Scotty. Always." Benny's voice held a promise in it. And when Benny made promises, he kept them.

And he did. Always.

* * *

**Well? Whadya think? Tell me, tell me, tell me! Click that little review button down there! Go ahead, it doesn't bite... Hard. **

**xoxo,**

**kitkat**


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